LARNet;
The
Cyber Journal of Applied Leisure and Recreation Research
Outcomes
of an After-School Soccer Program for At-Risk Youth
(July 2010)
Nancy Hritz, Ph.D.,
Danny
E. Johnson, Ph.D., LRT/CTRS,
Candace
Ashton-Shaeffer,
Ph.D.,
LRT/CTRS,
Kirk
W.
Brown,
Ph.D.,
Please direct correspondence to:
Nancy
Hritz, Ph.D.
Assistant
Professor
Department
of
Health
and Applied Human
Sciences
(910)
962-7719
Abstract
Children’s
use
of
time after-school is a
public concern, particularly for elementary school youth considered
“at-risk
(Halpern, 2003). In the United States, after-school programs are viewed
as a
solution for poor academic performance. Lauer, et. al., (2004) found
low
academically performing at-risk children improved their reading and
math scores
after participating in an after school program. In addition, after
school
programs that focus specifically on recreational sports have the
potential to
positively enhance self esteem for adolescents (Peterson & Seidman,
2004;
Todd & Kent, 2003). This study examined the academic and social
outcomes of
an after school recreation program for at risk elementary school
children. Pre
and post participation data revealed significant academic improvement
in math
and reading scores and improved social skills. Teachers also reported
positive
improvement in behaviors such as time-management, acceptance of
criticism, and
cooperation. Students responded favorably stating they felt better
about school
and making friends.
Key Words: at-risk, after school programs, self-esteem
Introduction
Children
and
youth
in the United States
are confronting complex social, economic and cultural environments. It
is
within their own communities that problems facing young people are most
visible. Regardless of race, social, or economic status, youth are
bombarded on
a daily basis with images of violence on television, in newspapers, the
internet, in schools, and sometimes at home. Compounding this, some
youth have
to deal with cultural, economic, racial, and social issues that make it
difficult for them to experience success during their formative years.
In some
families, both parents work outside the home leaving youth with no
supervision for
the immediate after school hours.
All
of these factors can contribute to a
young person’s sense of isolation, despondency, and social adjustment.
When
young people feel they have nothing to do and nowhere to go, they are
vulnerable to gang involvement, truancy, and alcohol and other drug
use. In the
1990s, the problems created by youth engaging in these self and
socially
destructive behaviors began to receive increased attention (Witt &
Crompton, 2002). A number of organizations, including park and
recreation departments
and public schools, have reacted by providing a number of youth
development programs
aimed to provide a higher quality of life for youth.
Recreational experiences can be used as a key component for improving the social good and for youth development (Russell, 2002). To make this happen, however, recreation providers, must go beyond the “gym and swim” mentality and provide programming that allows for the development of relationship skills youth can transfer not only into academic life, but into their personal lives as well (McLaughlin, 2000). Thus, the programs to address the needs of youth must reach beyond the immediate need of a place to “hang out” or “keep the youth out of trouble” (Witt & Crompton, 2002). They must offer opportunities to develop skills, build relationships, increase success in school, and participate fully in community life (McLaughlin, 2000). The aim of this paper was to investigate how an after school recreation program may enhance the self-esteem, social skills and academic success of at- risk children.
Review of
Literature
Children’s
use
of
time after-school has
been an on-going public concern, particularly with low income children
in
elementary grades (Halpern, 2003). Such children, considered “at-risk”
can be
exposed to many hazardous situations, such as violent crime, abuse and
drugs
(Baker & Witt, 2000). Programs
targeting this population are geared at helping them navigate
adolescence in a
healthy manner, develop productive social skills, and emphasize the
building of
community (National Recreation Foundation, 2006; Roth &
Brooks-Gunn, 2003).
After
school programs have a rich
history of over one hundred years in the United States (U.S.). Most of
the
early programs were for lower income, urban children who were more
often provided
a safe place to stay rather than a structured program (Halpern, 2002).
Research
has shown that after school recreational activities such as sports,
outdoor
activities, and mentoring programs can have a positive impact on the
self-concept of youth considered at risk (Green, Kleiber, &
Tarrant, 2000;
Marsh & Kleitman, 2003; McKay, 1993). For example, Scott, Witt, and
Foss
(1996) found participants in an art based after school program
benefited from
interaction with positive role models, had a greater sense of belonging
and
acceptance, and had an improved ability to get along with others.
Many
theories and models have been
utilized in the research on investigating the behaviors of at risk
youth. Self-esteem
theories center on the conscious reflection of one’s own being or
identity
(Huitt, 2004). Self-esteem can be cognitive in nature, defined as a
dynamic
system of learned beliefs, attitudes and opinions a person believes to
be true
about their existence (Purkey, 1988). It can also be viewed as
affective or
emotional and refer to one values. Huitt (2004) states that one’s world
views
and their relationship to it provide the boundaries and circumstances
within
which individuals develop a vision of the future. This is a major issue
facing
youth today.
Self-concept
theory
also
focuses on an
individual’s idea of themselves. The relationship between the two is
explained
by Franken (1994) who states that those with good self-esteem have a
clearly
defined self-concept. “When people know themselves they can maximize
outcome
because they know what they can and cannot do” (p. 439). Therefore,
many
authors use the terms self-concept and self-esteem interchangeably
(Huitt,
2004).
Clear
associations have been established
between self-esteem and academic success (Marsh, 1992). School
achievement has
been shown to lead to enhanced self-esteem. Gage and Berliner (1992)
found a
relationship between self-esteem and success in the specific school
subjects of
reading, mathematics, and science.
Past
research has explored the interaction
between recreation programs and self-esteem. Outdoor education programs
were
found to increase self-esteem for at risk youth and their families as a
collective whole (Green, Kleiber, & Tarrant, 2000; Wells, Widmer,
&
McCoy, 2004). Pedersen and Seidman (2004) found adolescent girls who
had higher
levels of achievement while participating in a team sport also reported
higher
levels of self-esteem. Similar results were presented by Todd and Kent
(2003).
They found that participation in a recreational athletic program led to
greater
self-concept for the participants, most notably for females.
After
school programs that focus
specifically on sport have the potential to positively affect at- risk
youth.
Participation in a team sport was shown to be connected to enhanced
self esteem
for adolescents (Pederson & Seidman, 2004; Todd & Kent, 2003).
However,
Colthart (1996) notes that students who are considered at-risk
participate in
significantly fewer recreation and sporting activities than other
students. More
specifically, youth of African American and Hispanic ethnicity have
been found
to participate in youth programs less frequently than those of other
ethnicities (Bouffard, Wimer, Caronongan, Little, Dearing, &
Simpkins,
2006). Moreover, youth of a lower socioeconomic status may not have
access to a
recreation facility, or their parents may be worried about their safety
while
traveling to and from the organizations in their neighborhoods, and the
families may not be able to afford the program’s fees (Grossman,
Today,
schools
tend
to view after school
programs as not only providing youth with a safe place to go and
facilitating
self esteem through recreation activities, but also as a remedy for
other
social concerns such as poor academic performance and anti-social
behaviors (Grossman
et al., 2001). School officials have an incentive to boost academic
performance
for youth. This may be due to the residual effects felt by the 2001
Elementary
and Secondary Education Act, otherwise known as No Child Left Behind
(NCLB).
Under this federal law, schools with students who test poorly on
standardized
tests in reading and math are subject to censure from the state and may
lose
some of their autonomy (Wallis & Steptoe, 2007). On the other hand,
schools
with high performing students can receive an increase in resources,
including bonuses
for teachers.
Utilizing
after
school
programs to
specifically boost student’s grades has been met with some success.
Lauer,
Akiba, Wilkerson, Apthorp, Snow, and Martin-Glenn (2004) found that low
academically performing children considered to be at-risk performed
better in
reading and math scores after participating in an after school program.
In
addition, Posner and Vandell (1999) found that time spent in a coached
sport
after school was associated with an overall improved grade point
average in 5th
graders. Likewise, Baker and Witt (1996) found significant differences
in
student grades from the beginning and to the end of the year between
participants and non participants in an after school program. They also
found
the teachers to reported that the program had a positive effect on the
child’s
behavior. Mahoney, Lord, and Carryl (2005) also found that those
students
participating in an after school program increased their reading skills
compared to those who did not participate in the program.
The
mere existence of youth programs by
local schools and park and recreation departments offers much promise
for
making a difference in the lives of many youth (McLaughlin, 2000).
Moreover, a
variety of programs offered and participated in by youth are the most
optimal
for youth development (Theokas, Lerner, Phelps, & Lerner, 2006).
However,
because youth participate in a variety of programs, ascertaining the
effectiveness of any one program is a challenge (Theokas, et al.,
2006). This
lack of proof of effectiveness can be problematic for acquiring or
maintaining
financial support for youth development programs (Witt & Crompton,
2002).
This
study builds upon the current cache
of knowledge by continuing to assess the outcomes of participation in a
recreational after school program on academic performance and
self-esteem. It
also attempts to examine any effects such a program has on improving
social skills
that can be transferred to the classroom. Lobo and Olson (2000) contend
that
“recreation programming can benefit from the shared use of public
school
facilities, and can include after school programs designed to support
the
learning activities of the school curriculum as well as to provide
recreational
experiences for at-risk children” (p. 15). Further, Danish, Forneris,
and Wallace
(2005) assert that children who are involved in a recreation program
such as a sports
program learn cooperation, teamwork, goal setting, time management and
communication skills that can be transferred to other areas in their
lives.
The purpose of the study was to examine the outcomes of an after school soccer program for at- risk children. Specifically, the following research questions were asked: (a) Are there any differences between teacher perceptions of students’ social and study skills and behaviors before and after the program? (b) Are there differences in reading and math scores at the beginning and end of program with participants? (c) What are student perceptions of their self-esteem after participating in an after school recreation program?
Method
Participants
Third
and fourth graders identified as
at-risk based on their school district’s definition (low social
economic status
and low academic performance) were identified by their teachers and
recruited
to participate in an after school soccer program. The program was the
joint
effort of a public elementary school and the Recreation
Therapy/Recreation
Management department at a university in the southeastern part of the
U.S.
during the 2004-2005 academic year. A total of 31 students participated
in the
program with the consent of their parent or legal guardian. The
students began
practice with their team shortly after the winter holiday break and
competed in
games throughout the spring with teams in the local community soccer
league.
Transportation and uniforms were provided, and shoes were available at
a
discounted cost.
In
order to specify the benefits of an
after school recreation program, it is necessary to design and
structure the
program at the beginning around measureable outcomes (Witt &
Crompton,
2002). The theoretical building blocks for the after school soccer
program was
nested in the National Research Council’s features for positive
developmental
settings for youth (Eccles & Appleton, 2001). These features
reflect many
of the common themes reflected in the literature: (a) physical and
emotional
safety for participants before, during, and after the program, (b)
appropriate
structure with clear and consistently enforced rules and expectations,
(c)
caring and supportive relationships (d) opportunities for meaningful
inclusion
with a group, (e) positive social norms that are reflected in the
culture and
delivery of the program, (f) support for self efficacy,
self empowerment, and expression, (g)
opportunities for skill building, and (h) integration of family,
school, and
community efforts. Desired outcomes were improved self-efficacy,
prosocial
behavioral skills, increased academic improvement in math and reading
scores,
and improved classroom behavioral skills.
To
meet the above criteria,
participation in games was mandated by attendance at all the
after-school
practices and completion of assigned daily homework, as well as being
current
with school work. Soccer was chosen as the recreation activity because
of the
simplicity of equipment and the availability of weekend games in an
existing
community sports program.
A
teacher and an active parent at the
school served as soccer coaches. Practices took place on the school’s
playground and were held once or twice per week depending on coaches’
schedules. Each session would begin with a review of each student’s
schoolwork
and if a student had work to complete they had to finish before getting
on the
practice field. Playing on the school sponsored soccer team was
considered a
reward for effort in school.
Instrument
To
measure the above outcomes, multiple
data sources were used. Teachers rated the students using several
measures both
before and after the program. The first were questions from the
Walker-McConnell
Scale of Social Competence and School Adjustment (SSCSA) short version.
The
SSCSA identifies prosocial behaviors specifically in the classroom
setting
(Worthington & Harrison, 1990). Nineteen questions from the SSCSA
addressed
teacher preferred behavior such as the ability to work independently
without
teacher support and careful listening to teacher instructions; and
additional
questions regarding interactions with peers while in school setting
such as the
ability to compromise with peers when needed and the ability to accepts
constructive criticism from their peers. Each question was measured
using a
five point Likert type scale with 1 = “never” and 5 = “frequently.”
The
SSCSA has been examined for its
reliability and validity. Reliability of the scales was established
with
test-retest correlations of .88 to .92, inter rater consistency with a
.53
correlation among teacher and an internal consistency alpha
coefficients
ranging from .95 to .97. Validity was substantiated with significant
correlations
for discriminant, criterion and construct validity (Merrell, Merz,
Johnson,
& Ring Yakima, 1992).
In
addition, teachers rated the students
with questions from the Social Skills Rating System (Gresham &
Elliot,
1990). The Social Skills Rating System (SSRS) is considered an ideal
complement
to the SSCSA (Worthington & Harrison, 1990). While the SSCSA is
more of a
global assessment of social adjustment for children in the classroom,
the SSRS
“provides measures of both developmental and situational aspects of
social
competence” (Worthington & Harrison, 1990, p. 252). While the SSCSA
asked
teacher’s to rate external problem behaviors, these questions address
behaviors
that may not be as easily noticed (Elliott, Gresham, Freeman, &
McCloskey,
1988). Thus, the SSRS provided more detailed information regarding
youth
development. Questions used from the SSRS were items from the problem
behaviors
domain. These five questions addressed peer relations, loneliness,
impulsive
behaviors, and anxiety. They were measured using a three point Likert
type
scale with 1 = “never” and 3 = “often.”
The
SSRS has been examined for
reliability with an internal consistency of .82 and test-retest of .84
for the
problem behaviors domain (Elliot, et. al., 1988). The scale has also
shown high
construct validity with structural confirmatory factor loadings ranging
from
.70 to .86 (Fantuzzo, Holliday Manz, & McDermott, 1998).
Teachers
also
rated
the participants on
their cognitive function with questions on concentration levels, effort
levels,
and eagerness to learn. These questions were borrowed from the Teacher
Observation of Child Adaptation-Revised Scale (TOCA-R) cognitive
concentration
domain. The TOCA-R is an appropriate measure for ascertaining at risk
youth
academic development and is a good measure for ascertaining classroom
behavior
skills (Petras, Chilcoat, Leaf, Ialong, & Kellam, 2004;
Werthamer-Larsson
& Kellam, 1991).
The
cognitive concentration domain of
the TOCA-R has high internal consistency with a coefficient alpha of
.97.
Moreover, the domain has good concurrent and predictive validity
(Werthamer-Larsson & Kellam, 1991).
In
addition, student’s reading and math
scores on the school’s End of Grade (EOG) standardized test were
collected in
the fall before the program began and once again in the spring at the
conclusion of the school year and consequently the program. The EOG
exams
determine if a student successfully completes the grade and is ready to
move to
the next grade. The scores are also reported to the state as a measure
of the
school’s performance. In 2004, the mean scores for students in third
grade were
253.4 for mathematics and 248.1 for reading. The mean scores for
students in
the fourth grade were 259.2 for mathematics and 252.3 for reading
(Public
Schools of North Carolina, 2005).
Lastly, students rated themselves of their feelings at the conclusion of the program. These were included as a self-reported measure of effects of the program. These evaluation questions were written by the researchers with input from a school counselor familiar with the students. Each question began with the statement “since starting soccer…” and was presented on a five point Likert type scale with 1 = “a lot worse” to 5 = “a lot better” for each item.
Data analysis
Means and standard deviations were computed for each question on the instrument for each data collection period, both pre and post participation in the program. Therefore, pre and post mean differences were examined for each section of the survey: the SSCSA, SSRS, TOCA-R, End of Grade tests, and student self-report. Paired samples t-tests were used to examine any differences among the participants for each item both before and after the program. Paired sample t-tests are an effective way to access if the observed mean differences are significant from zero (Keppel & Wickens, 2004).
Results
Complete
data
were
collected on 25 of
the 31 students who participated in the program. Descriptively,
seventeen (68%)
participants were male with eight females. The ethnicity of the
participants
were mostly African American (42.9%), with 33.3% Hispanic, 14.3% white,
and
9.5% bi- or multi-racial. All the students were in either the third
(36%) or
fourth (64%) grade and ranged in age from 8-10.
To
answer the first research question, a
paired samples t-test was computed for each SSCSA statement. Out of the
19
individual SSCSA statements measuring student prosocial behaviors
relating to
self esteem, 15 statements showed a significant difference from the
pre-test at
the p < .05 level. Table 1 depicts
the results of all the paired t-tests, means and standard deviations.
Table
1 Teacher rated prosocial skills
|
Pre-test |
|
Post-test |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
t |
p |
|
Other
children seek child out to involve him/her in activities |
4.00 |
.707 |
4.29 |
.784 |
-1.00 |
.329 |
|
Child
uses free time appropriately |
3.48 |
.963 |
4.29 |
.902 |
-3.101 |
.006b |
|
Child
shares laughter with peers |
3.92 |
.702 |
4.48 |
.602 |
-2.682 |
.014b |
|
Child
has good work habits (e.g., is organized, makes efficient use of
class time) |
3.20 |
1.118 |
3.90 |
1.044 |
-2.911 |
.009b |
|
Child
compromises with peers when a situation calls for it |
3.52 |
.823 |
4.00 |
.894 |
-1.451 |
.162 |
|
Child
responds to teasing or name calling by ignoring, changing the subject,
or some other constructive means |
2.84 |
.746 |
3.71 |
.845 |
-4.202 |
.000a |
|
Child
accepts constructive criticism from peers without becoming angry |
3.08 |
.759 |
3.71 |
.717 |
-3.211 |
.004a |
|
Child
plays or talks with peers for extended periods of time |
4.00 |
.577 |
4.52 |
.602 |
-4.264 |
.000a |
|
Child
initiates conversation with peers in formal situations |
3.76 |
.723 |
4.00 |
.894 |
-.847 |
.407 |
|
Child
listens carefully to teacher instructions and directions for assignments |
3.68 |
1.069 |
4.29 |
.845 |
-2.646 |
.016b |
|
Child
displays independent study skills (e.g., can work adequately with minimum teacher support) |
3.40 |
1.041 |
4.19 |
.928 |
-3.281 |
.004a |
|
Child
appropriately copes without aggression from others (e.g.,
tries to avoid a fight, walks away, seeks assistance, defends self) |
3.56 |
.917 |
4.14 |
.854 |
-2.631 |
.016b |
|
Child
interacts with a number of different peers |
3.68 |
.557 |
4.43 |
.507 |
-4.564 |
.000a |
|
Child
can accept not getting his/her own way |
3.36 |
.810 |
4.33 |
.796 |
-3.800 |
.001a |
|
Child
attends to assigned tasks |
3.60 |
.764 |
4.38 |
.740 |
-4.240 |
.000a |
|
Child
keeps conversations with peers going |
3.80 |
.645 |
4.29 |
.644 |
-2.911 |
.009a |
|
Child
invites peers to play or share activities |
3.84 |
.554 |
4.29 |
.717 |
-2.019 |
.057 |
|
Child
does seat work assignments as directed |
3.68 |
.852 |
4.38 |
.805 |
-3.990 |
.001a |
|
Child
produces work of acceptable quality given his/her skill |
3.40 |
.816 |
4.33 |
.796 |
-4.560 |
.000a |
Based
on the scale: 1 = Never; 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 =
Frequently
a
=
Significant
at p < .01; b =
Significant at p < .05
Paired
samples
t-tests
were also used
for each SSRS statement on self esteem. Only one of the SSRS statements
was
significant from the pre-test. The statement of “gets easily
distracted” tested
significant, t(20) = 2.646, p = .016.
Results of the SSRS t-tests and descriptives can be found in table 2.
Table
2 Teacher rated social competence skills
|
Pre-test |
|
Post-test |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
t |
p |
|
Fights
with
others |
1.40 |
.577 |
1.24 |
.436 |
1.451 |
.162 |
|
Argues
with
others |
1.76 |
.597 |
1.52 |
.602 |
1.369 |
.186 |
|
Appears
lonely |
1.32 |
.476 |
1.33 |
.483 |
1.000 |
1.000 |
|
Acts
sad or depressed |
1.56 |
.651 |
1.38 |
.498 |
1.826 |
.083 |
|
Gets
easily distracted |
2.08 |
.702 |
1.57 |
.598 |
2.646 |
.016a |
|
Acts
impulsively |
1.80 |
.816 |
1.57 |
.746 |
.439 |
.666 |
Based
on the scale: 1 = Never, 2 = Sometimes, 3 = Often
a
=
Significant
at p < .05
Questions
addressing
classroom
behaviors
from the TOCA-R also were significantly different before and after the
program
using a paired samples t-test at either p
<.05 or p <.01 level. The
means, standard deviations, t-scores can be found in table 3.
Table
3 Teacher rated cognitive function of classroom behaviors
|
Pre-test |
|
Post-test |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
t |
p |
|
Self
reliant |
3.58 |
.974 |
4.33 |
.856 |
-3.040 |
.007a |
|
Works
hard |
4.08 |
1.077 |
4.81 |
1.078 |
-2.950 |
.008a |
|
Learns
up
to
ability |
3.64 |
1.150 |
4.57 |
1.076 |
-4.564 |
.000a |
|
Easily
distracted |
3.28 |
1.208 |
2.67 |
1.111 |
2.092 |
.049b |
|
Concentrates |
3.76 |
1.091 |
4.76 |
1.136 |
-5.396 |
.000a |
|
Completes
assignments |
4.36 |
1.036 |
5.00 |
1.095 |
-2.500 |
.021b |
|
Shows
poor effort |
2.52 |
.963 |
1.90 |
.700 |
2.631 |
.016b |
|
Eager
to learn |
4.58 |
1.176 |
5.24 |
.995 |
-2.586 |
.018b |
|
Mind
wanders |
3.17 |
1.239 |
2.43 |
1.165 |
2.828 |
.010b |
|
Works
well alone |
3.56 |
.961 |
4.57 |
1.121 |
-4.990 |
.000a |
*Based
on the scale 1 = Never, 2= Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Often, 5 = Very
often, 6
= Always
a
=
Significant
at p < .01; b =
Significant at p < .05
For
the second research question, scores
on the EOG Tests in reading and math were also significantly different
between
the participants at the beginning and end of the after school soccer
program. At
the beginning of the program, students scored below the state mean in
both
reading and mathematics. At the conclusion of the after school soccer
program,
students scored similar to the majority of students in their grade in
both
subjects. A paired samples t-test was significant for both reading and
math pre
and post testing. Reading scores improved t(18) = -6.566, p
< .001 as well as math scores t(19) = -8.850, p <
.001
at
the conclusion of the program
for the participants. Table 4 shows the means, standard deviations, and
t-test
scores for the End of Grade Testing.
Table
4 End of Grade
|
Pre-test |
|
Post-test |
|
|
|
|
|
|
M |
SD |
M |
SD |
t |
p |
|
|
240.84 |
8.174 |
250.19 |
6.698 |
-6.566 |
.000a |
|
Math |
245.60 |
9.632 |
256.29 |
6.827 |
-8.850 |
.000a |
a
=
Significant
at p < .01
Lastly,
in
regard
to the third research
question, students rated themselves on self-esteem issues at the
conclusion of
the program to answer the third research question. Descriptive
statistics
revealed a mean score of “a little better” for all the items. The
highest
ranked item was “feeling a member of a team” with a mean score of 4.56.
The other
two items with the highest value were “feeling better about myself” M =
4.44,
and “feel an important part of school” M = 4.44. These results are
further
illustrated in table 5.
Table
5 Student perceptions after participation of self esteem
|
Since
starting soccer… |
M |
SD |
|
How I
feel about myself |
4.44 |
.784 |
|
How I
feel about my schoolwork |
4.22 |
.732 |
|
How I
feel about being an important part of school |
4.44 |
.856 |
|
How I
feel about making better decisions |
4.33 |
.767 |
|
How I
feel about being a member of a team |
4.56 |
.705 |
|
How I
feel about fitting in with others |
3.94 |
.725 |
|
How I
feel about making friends |
4.00 |
.907 |
Based
on the scale: 1 = a lot worse, 2 = a little worse, 3 = same, 4 = a
little
better, 5 = a lot better
Discussion
On a
broad scale, the students involved
in the after school soccer recreation program improved in several areas
of
social competence related to the classroom. Of the significant
statements with
the SSCSA, there was almost an even split of improvement in both
teacher
preferred behaviors, with seven areas of significant change, and peer
relations
with eight significant areas of improvement. Combined with the
improvement in
ability to stay focused in the classroom by not being easily
distracted, as
revealed in the SSRS measure, participants in the program improved
significantly in both areas equally.
The
students’ classroom behaviors also
had a notable change with each area showing significant improvement
from the
start of the program. The results also show that participants, now
armed with
their improved classroom behaviors, can score higher in math and
reading aptitude.
As a result, their self esteem can improve and with reports of feeling
better
about themselves and school.
The
results indicate that participation
in an after school program can lead to improvements in academic
performance,
social skills, classroom behavior and self esteem. Both students and
teachers reported
perceived improvement in social and decision making skills. Teachers
reported
positive improvement in behaviors such as time-management, acceptance
of
criticism, and cooperation. Students responded favorably stating they
felt better
about themselves and felt an important part of the school community.
The combination of being on an after school team with the practice structure with an emphasis on academic efforts may have a synergistic effect on students. Higher academic expectations and learning to become a team mate is a scenario that moved students from a predicted failure to a documented success.
Conclusion
Ultimately,
as
demonstrated
by this
study, participation in after school recreational activities has the
potential lead
to higher end of grade scores and positive academic related social
behaviors,
which can lead to a more beneficial learning environment for all. The
connection between involvement in an after school recreation program
and
improved academic performance can perhaps aid those schools who are
vulnerable
under the NCLB act. An after school recreation program is a low cost
method of
reaching those students who are struggling with reading and math scores
as
stipulated by the law. Moreover, participation in these types of
programs can
have a positive impact on the self-concept of at-risk youth which can
further
aid them in excelling in the classroom.
There are several limitations to this study. First the small sample size limits the ability to generalize the results, however, it points to some promising results in this area. In the sampling process, teachers were asked to identify students to participate in the program, and they may have only selected those who they believed would show improvement. In addition, improvement was also rated by teachers and supported by student perceptions. In future research it might be best to include other perceptions such as the parents who may offer a richer perspective into the outcomes of the after school program.